JVC GZ-HD7
Conclusion2007 has been an exciting - and confounding - year for consumer HD. It is exciting because never before have there been so many HD camcorders from the big four manufacturers, JVC, Panasonic, Sony, and Canon. Not only are there more HD camcorders than ever before, they record to practically every media type available in several HD compression flavors. But it has been a confounding year, as well, For the first time, just making sense of the plethora of HD models and codecs out there is a challenge. What's worse, many models are so close – yet so far – from delivering the whole package. The Canon HV20 is a stellar stripped-down camcorder that delivers great performance at a bargain price, but its construction feels disconcertingly cheap. The Sony HDR-HC7 is loaded with features and feels great in hand, but toggling between manual control options using the Cam Control dial is too slow. The Panasonic HDC-SD1 is very elegantly designed and performs well, but lacks several features that are standard-issue on HD cams from the competition, including an accessory shoe and viewfinder.
The much-anticipated JVC GZ-HD7 is another case of so-close-yet-so-far. It is the only consumer camcorder that feels and handles much
a prosumer model, with dedicated buttons for manual controls, an excellent focus ring, and an excellent Focus Assist. It includes a very nice removable lens hood, feels balanced in-hand, and is generally very good ergonomically. On top of all these great attributes, the HD7 is an HDD-based camcorder, allowing for day-long shoots without having to keep track of media, or laboriously digitize footage. Yet, for a device that looks and feels
a mini-prosumer cam, the absence of a headphone jack audio level adjustments is surprising and disappointing.
JVC has also made some compromises in terms of video performance. On balance we
the look of the HD7's footage, but its very saturated and its resolution is lower than any HD camcorder we've tested this year. HD7 owners are also finding that MPEG-2 Transport Stream video is not as easy to work with as promised. That relegates the HD7 to a kind of post-production purgatory
AVCHD camcorders - easy to shoot with, but a bear to edit.
The JVC GZ-HD7 is great in many ways - and its prosumer-like handling is a real pleasure. However, to really take advantage of all it has to offer, you would need to invest in an external audio mixer to allow audio monitoring and level control, the HD Share Station for convenient video archiving, and perhaps an extended life battery. 2007 is the year consumer HD has really arrived - and the HD7 is a big part of that. It is one of several strong contenders out there, including the Sony HDR-HC7, Canon HV20, and Panasonic HDC-SD1, but there's still no clear winner among them for all-around performance, convenience and speed.
ComparisonPanasonic HDC-SD1
The Panasonic HDC-SD1’s ($1299 MSRP) claim to fame was that it was known as the world’s smallest AVCHD camcorder. But since the announcement of Sony’s HDC-CX7, the latest world’s smallest AVCHD camcorder, the SD1 will have to rely on its good looks and consumer charm to remain on the map. Point and shooters
the SD1 because it’s compact, nice to look at, and records to flash. The SD1 is also equipped with high-end features
three 1/4" CCDs that produce 1680K gross pixels, a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital microphone, and a rear-mounted joystick. The HD7’s three 1/5” CCDs crank out a slightly higher 1710K gross pixel count, and the image has notably less motion and stuttering issues. However, in low light, the SD1 outperformed the HD7 with room to spare. The HD7 is built
a tank, has a manual focus ring, a professional Fujinon lens, and can record video at a data rate of up to 30 Mbps. You also don’t have to worry about the stubborn AVCHD format. It’s a solid brick of stealth. But is killer handling and a professional component spectrum an equal tradeoff for mediocre video performance and an additional $400? You decide at the store.
Sony HDR-SR1
The Sony HDR-SR1 ($1500 MSRP) is an HDD camcorder that utilizes the AVCHD format, but has a lot to offer. Because AVCHD video quality has not been ironed out in its early stages, we’d have to give the upper hand to the HD7. The SR1 comes equipped with a 1/3” CMOS sensor with a gross pixel count of 2.1 MP and produces a noisy image in bright light with increased deterioration in low light. The HD7 will display less motion trailing and artifacts in bright light, but in low light noise will explode and the image will sink with the SR1. Although the HD7 looks
an assassin, it is a bit stunted in additional features lined up against the SR1. Sure, the HD7 has a manual focus ring, professional Fujinon lens, killer construction, and everything else we’ve beaten to death throughout these comparisons, but believe it or not, you’ll find more on the SR1.
The SR1 doesn’t have a manual focus ring—it has a multifunction ring, which is even better. The SR1 also has a Sony proprietary hot shoe, headphone jack, deep battery chamber, top-mounted flash, and massive 3.5 inch LCD screen. The HD7 looks
a professional home movie camera compared to the SR1, designed to record hours of fairly decent video and output unedited clips to DVDs. The SR1 is also $100 cheaper. If you can find a way to dissect the AVCHD editing conundrum and are willing to sacrifice some video quality, then throw your extra $200 in the piggybank and get an SR1.
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